''Blue Rose'' is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

published by

Green Ronin Publishing Green Ronin Publishing is an American company based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Chris Pramas and Nicole Lindroos, they have published several role-playing game–related products. They won several awards for their games includin ...

in 2005. The game is in the

romantic fantasy Romantic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric romance genre. One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships, social, ...

genre—it is inspired by fantasy fiction such as that of

Mercedes Lackey Mercedes Ritchie Lackey (born June 24, 1950) is an American writer of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar. Her Valdemar novels include i ...

and

Diane Duane Diane Duane (born May 18, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author, long based in Ireland. Her works include the ''Young Wizards'' young adult fantasy series and the '' Rihannsu'' Star Trek novels. Biography Born in New York ...

as opposed to

Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906June 11, 1936) was an American writer. He wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He is well known for his character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subge ...

–style of

swords and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...

. In romantic fantasy the emphasis is on role-playing and character interaction more than on combat. The game uses a derivative of the D20 system, called

True20 ''True20'' is a role-playing game system designed by Steve Kenson and published by Green Ronin Publishing. The system was first published as a part of the ''Blue Rose'' RPG before being published as a standalone universal generic role-playing g ...

. Green Ronin subsequently released

as a separate system without a setting and genre neutral. In early 2015 Green Ronin President

Chris Pramas Chris Pramas is an American game designer and writer, as well as a founder of Green Ronin Publishing. He is best known as the designer of the ''Dragon Age'' RPG, ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' (second edition), and ''Freeport: The City of Adventu ...

announced the company would Kickstart a new edition of the game using the Adventure Game Engine, the same ruleset used in the '' Dragon Age tabletop RPG''. This new edition was published in May 2017.

Setting

''Blue Rose'' is set in a world called ''Aldea'', and most campaigns center around the ''Kingdom of Aldis''. Aldis is a monarchy whose ruler is chosen by divine intervention rather than inheritance. The current ruler is Queen Jaellin, who earned the throne when "the Golden Hart", a being symbolizing rightful rulership, chose her over rival contenders. Populations of sentient telepathic animals are prevalent in Aldis (talking animals are a common theme in fantasy literature, but far less so in role-playing) and are considered equal citizens on par with humans. Aldis endures tense relations with Jarzon, a neighboring realm of religious zealots. Both nations are threatened by Kern, an evil kingdom of necromancers, and have occasionally operated as uneasy allies against the common aggressor.

Reception

Upon initial release, ''Blue Rose'' was met with general approval and even some acclaim by the gaming hobby. The greatest attention was directed at the rules system, which was praised as a skillful slimming down of the comparatively more cumbersome d20 rules. Two supplemental books were published (in addition to the original core rulebook): ''Blue Rose Companion'' and ''World of Aldea''. Green Ronin later released

as a separate game, without any default setting. The company now treats ''Blue Rose'' as one setting for True20 - for example, the ''Blue Rose'' forum was abandoned and replaced with a section in the True20 foru

''Blue Rose'' won the

Gen Con Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...

ENWorld Roleplaying Silver Medal for Best Cover Art, Best Rules, and Best d20 Game in 2005.

Reviews

*''

Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

References

External links

The New Noble Assembly: The Official Forum for Blue Rose
*The Green Ronin power search page on RPG.ne
contain 6 different reviews of Blue Rose
all linked to extensive discussion. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Rose (Role-Playing Game) ENnies winners Fantasy role-playing games Green Ronin Publishing games Role-playing games introduced in 2005